Brighton Orpheus Choir and the Sinfonia of Arun, 27 March 2004

 The
Orpheus
concert
given on
Saturday 27 March 2004

in All Saints Church,
The Drive, Hove
click for:
review of the concert
the performers
programme notes

from Words and Music

A majestic work

THE KINGDOM

This rarely performed work, with its rich and powerful orchestration, had four strong soloists.   Josef Koc, in the pivotal role of Peter, had a full, authoritative voice and was capable of much lyrical singing.  Last-minute stand-in tenor Philip O'Brien - how fortunate to find him - was obviously familiar with the work.  He had a thrilling top and blended well in the very operatic duet with the baritone.  Mezzo Clarissa Meek has least to do but I enjoyed her warm tones.  Helen Rowe (soprano) had a lovely pure sound throughout but perhaps needs more vocal weight to convey the full drama of the climax of "And the sun goeth down", the best known part of the work.  In this she was not helped by a slight orchestral hiccough but she concluded it with a stunning high pianissimo.

That apart, the Sinfonia of Arun played well and I must commend the lead cellist Sam Sherwood and the guest leader Yu Yasuraoka who played the most beautiful violin obbligato in the aforementioned aria.

The chorus sang strongly with obvious commitment to the piece, however as they were behind a substantial orchestra, some of the crispness of articulation and words did not carry across it.  I felt they consequently lost some focus in the quieter passages.   This was a minor issue in a performance which was inspiring.

When I asked an exhausted but elated Stella Hull at the end why she thought the piece was so rarely performed she replied "It's very demanding of everyone, soloists, chorus and orchestra and you have to concentrate all the way through.  Elgar puts in so much detail and expression in each bar."

Demanding, but surely worth the effort for this majestic work.


Angela Goodall

Elgar's oratorio
 The Kingdom


the Brighton Orpheus Choir

with the Sinfonia of Arun
leader : Yu Yasuraoka

conducted by Stella Hull

Helen Rowe (soprano)
Clarissa Meek (contralto)
Philip O'Brien (tenor)
Jozef Koc (bass)

  

Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

Edward Elgar

The Kingdom

The first performance of Elgar’s “The Kingdom” was given at the Birmingham Festival in 1906 when the composer was 49. Born near Worcester and spending most of his life in the area, Elgar was a devout Roman Catholic. An organist and violinist, a conductor and largely self-taught composer, he was greatly influenced by the English provincial music festivals with their large amateur choirs. Following the traditions of Handel and Mendelssohn, Elgar embraced the concept of the dramatic oratorio. Somewhat a late developer, Elgar’s genius was eventually recognised with the emergence of his Enigma Variations in 1899. But the performance of the Dream of Gerontius in the following year was a practical disaster until its success in Germany jolted the Worcester festival into a second performance and appreciation of Elgar’s masterpiece. Despite the deep scar of initial rejection, Elgar produced the Apostles for the 1903 Birmingham Festival. He had long been contemplating a trilogy: the life and work of Christ’s Apostles, (The Apostles); the early Church in Jerusalem (The Kingdom) and a third work having for its theme the Church of the Gentiles (never completed). The Wagnerian influence is clear in his use of the “cycle” and recurring employment of leitmotifs (musical themes to represent different ideas). Considered by many to be superior in content to Gerontius, the style in The Kingdom is thoroughly romantic, tender and lyrical and of a reflective nature.

The text is drawn from the first four chapters of the Acts of the Apostles with extra material drawn mainly from the Gospels. Divided into five parts, the work is introduced by a beautiful orchestral Prelude.

This begins in a mood of joyous activity and enthusiasm with the Gospel and Apostles themes of the earlier work. The tense Peter motif with its impulsive upward rush is followed by a recollection of the turmoil of Peter’s denial and Christ’s loneliness. Yet out of Peter’s dark brooding emerges a new subject symbolising the New Faith. A sighing phrase precedes a new theme The Real Presence central to the work and based on the ancient antiphon O Sacrum Convivium. This is to recur many times: at the Breaking of Bread, the Light of the world and many references to the Eucharist. As the music moves into triple time we reach “one of the purest, serenest thoughts that has been uttered by the composer – a devout prayer breathing trust and hope, hearing which the troubled heart may well be with inward consolations recompensed.” (A.J. Jaeger). This theme is to return in the closing movement of the work in thankfulness for the cup of the Eucharist and for redemption by “Our Father”.

Part One is set in the Upper Room after the Lord Jesus’ Ascension where the disciples and women meet to talk, pray and give thanks. The simple unaccompanied chorus opens the movement introducing a theme to be used repeatedly when the believers aspire to or reflect on the Kingdom of God. As John recalls the words of Jesus Surely they are my people a flowing melody is heard in the orchestra to represent Concord, the bond uniting the disciples in brotherly love and spiritual accord. Peter emerges as the leader reminding the disciples of the Lord Jesus’ words at the Last Supper as the Real Presence motif is heard. The Aspiration melody builds the hymn of Praise the name of the Lord. Peter explains that a new apostle must be appointed in Judas’ place. Once Matthias is chosen there is much rejoicing in the rousing chorus O ye priests but it ends in a hushed awareness of the Holy Spirit of God.

Part Two is set At the Beautiful Gate of the Temple in Jerusalem on the Morn of Pentecost and opens in a mood of joyful expectancy. The Virgin Mary (soprano) and Mary Magdalene (contralto) sing a simple duet and give alms to a poor lame man sitting there. They remember Jesus miraculously healing the blind and the lame.
Edward Elgar was born within sight of the Malvern Hills and the tower of Worcester Cathedral, symbols throughout his creative life. In boyhood, in Worcester, there was a high standard of music in St. George's Roman Catholic Church, where his father was organist, a fine tradition at Worcester Cathedral, the Three Choirs Festivals, opportunities for performance in local concerts and ready materials for study in his father's music shop. Many of his earliest compositions were written for St. George's, where he succeeded his father as organist in 1885.

After his marriage to Caroline Alice Roberts in 1889 his inspiration took wing and his works became more ambitious. A series of choral works began with The Black Knight, which Elgar later described as a 'symphony' in four movements, and continued with Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf, The Banner of St. George and Caractacus. The originality and brilliance of his orchestration attracted attention at once, as did his development of Wagner's structural methods, following visits to Bayreuth and Munich.

It was the Enigma Variations of 1899, premièred by Hans Richter, that launched his international fame. European and American conductors were quick to recognise the quality of the Variations, and it was in Germany that his oratorio The Dream of Gerontius, after a disastrously incompetent performance in Birmingham, first achieved success and the praise of Richard Strauss. The Apostles and The Kingdom were produced at the succeeding triennial festivals. Elgar had raised oratorio to a new level of achievement.

At the end of 1907, Elgar launched his First Symphony. Its success was immediate, resulting in a hundred performances in little more than a year after its première.

During the First World War, Elgar wrote works expressing his sympathy with the plight of Belgium and Poland. The aspiration and appalling waste of those years were summed up in the three movements of The Spirit of England. Three significant chamber works and the Cello Concerto came aafter the war. This was music matured in the Sussex countryside, where the Elgars had rented a cottage since 1917.

Throughout his career, Elgar produced a notable series of partsongs, pieces that show him working with equal success on a small scale and writing as sensitively for voices as he did for instruments. Such part-songs can be reckoned among Elgar's finest achievements.

When his wife died in 1920, much of his creative inspiration suffered. It was not until 1930, when already over 70, that Elgar turned again to composition with apparent relish. In his final years, he was working on an opera, The Spanish Lady, a piano concerto and a third symphony. They were uncompleted on his death in February 1934.
The Concord motif heralds the third movement entitled Pentecost which is again set in the Upper Room. In the words of Nimrod, Elgar’s friend and analyst A.J.Jaeger, “this is the most remarkable section of the oratorio. The composer could give free rein to his imagination in creating the atmosphere befitting the situation and words of the mystic chorus (sung by the divided ladies chorus); in dramatically representing the descent of the Holy Spirit and the tongues parting asunder, like as of fire and in giving musical expression to the Apostles inspired utterances.” In response to the crowd’s amazement, Peter, remembering the commission given to him by Jesus, explains his death, resurrection and glorification. In remorse the people turn to Peter for guidance and warmly respond to his encouragement to repent and be baptised, as they joyfully become the first fruits of His creatures and the movement ends in noble praise.

We return to the Beautiful Gate for the fourth movement: The sign of healing .The contralto evangelist reminds us of the presence of the lame man waiting for alms, but is who is now wonderfully healed by Peter. The crowd responds in bewilderment as Peter explains that the miracle is performed in Jesus’ Name and together Peter and John urge their listeners to turn to God and be repentant in order that your sins may be blotted out. But into this uplifting moment burst the priests and Sadducees who arrest Peter and John. There follows perhaps the best known music of the work: The sun goeth down. Mary (the soprano soloist) meditates on the glory and suffering of the spreading of the Kingdom of God.

 On returning to the Upper Room for the final fifth movement, we return to the aspirational music of the first. Peter now makes his defence to the authorities declaring that we cannot but speak the things we saw and heard. The disciples and women rejoice at their subsequent release in a chorus of bold strength and awed praise. This leads to the most reverend and solemn passage of the work: The Breaking of Bread. The Real Presence motif features strongly and is woven into the prayer motif of the Prelude as the celebration of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection takes its unifying place within the Kingdom. The music finally glides into a simple setting of the Lord’s Prayer and the work gently closes in a prayerful assurance of Thou , O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, and we are Thine.

S H

Click here to see music examples and, if you have MP3 audio encoding available, you can hear illustrations of some of the leitmotifs in The Kingdom.


Some CD recordings of
Elgar's The Kingdom

The Kingdom
London Philharmonic Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Adrian Boult
Margaret Price, Yvonne Minton
EMI British Composers
CMS7642092 (2 discs) 1968 re-issued 1993

Available also in a box set of 13 discs Elgar Choral Collection 2002
EMI Classics 5757942 		The Kingdom / Orchestral Works
London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Richard Hickox

Margaret Marshall, Felicity Palmer, Arthur Davies, David Wilson-Johnson

Chandos CHAN87889 (2 discs) 1989
Also includes: Sospiri and Sursum corda (Elevation)


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